


On the Jumping Rock

by narghargs



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Vacation, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, Friends to Lovers, Lake House AU, Lance is bisexual, M/M, Pining!Lance, Slow Burn, Some Swearing, keith is gay, pidge is nonbinary, shiro is a trans man
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-20
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-08-09 19:42:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7814614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/narghargs/pseuds/narghargs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lance becomes blindsided by his attraction to Keith after blackmailing him into a plan to get their oblivious friends to date.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dramamine

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic ever so we'll see how this goes lmao. As nervous as I am about this, feedback would mean the world to me as a new writer :) thanks for reading!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first fic ever so we'll see how this goes lmao. As nervous as I am about this, feedback would mean the world to me as a new writer :) thanks for reading!

It had been four hours since the six of them squeezed into Allura’s minivan and began their road trip. That meant six more hours to go until they all arrived at the lake house.

Hunk was sprawled in the back seat, lucky enough to have two seats to himself. In the next row of seats, Keith, Lance, and Pidge sat squished together. Shiro sat in the passenger seat, his feet perched on the dashboard in front of him. Allura drove, which also meant she was in control of the AUX. Aside from the occasional Smash Mouth song, her playlist was _mostly_ survivable.

Pidge had already fallen asleep, their head resting against the car window and legs draped over Lance’s lap forming an extremely uncomfortable blanket. The soft shaking of the car combined with the light radio, however, did make the vehicle a conducive environment for sleep. In fact, Lance almost felt like he was being rocked like a baby. He would have been just as zonked as Pidge if it weren’t for Keith. There was no way Lance was going to rest his weary head on that guy.

Keith has made it abundantly clear that he did not like car rides. He warned the group beforehand that his motion sickness made him incredibly irritable. He couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, hell, he could barely even hold a conversation in a moving car. Lance was better off finding a cactus to rest his head on than Keith.

“Shiro? Allura?” Hunks voice called from the back seat.

“Yes, Hunk?” Shiro replied from the passenger seat.

“It’s 8 at night and we haven’t had a thing to eat since breakfast!” Hunk whined.

“We made sandwiches, remember?”

“Lance ate mine!” Hunk shouted. Lance shrunk in his seat.

“God dammit, Lance.” Shiro said under his breath.

“Can we _please_ stop talking about food?” Keith muttered behind the hand covering his face.

“You all need to settle down!” Allura shouted from the driver’s seat, using her mom voice, “We’ll stop at the gas station in a half hour. You guys can buy whatever snacks you want and we’ll unpack anything you need from the coolers in the trunk.

“Snacks…?” Pidge squeaked out, coming out of their nap. Lance watched as Keith buried his face deeper into his hands as he groaned.

“Keith, you know there’s medication for that, right?”

“I swear to God, Lance, shut your Goddamn mouth. I didn't bring any, alright?” Keith barked. Lance smirked. An angry Keith was enough entertainment to last him the rest of the car ride.

“Relax, buddy. I just wanted to help,” He lifted up his arms non-threateningly, closing his eyes while he waited for another explosive reaction. He didn’t get one. Lance opened his eyes to see Keith, headphones on and turned towards the window. What a baby.

Suddenly, an opportunity called, or rather, came blaring from the radio.

_Somebody once told me the world was gonna roll me_

“HOLY SHIT,” Lance, Hunk, and Pidge all screamed in unison. Allura looked back and started to laugh. Shiro turned up the volume.

Lance couldn’t just let the opportunity to pester Keith pass. He ripped off Keith’s headphones and started to shout the lyrics directly into his ear.

_She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb in the shape of an “L” on her forehead._

Lance brought his hand up to his face to form his own L before receiving a forceful shove from Keith. But Lance didn’t give up. Hunk, Pidge, and Allura all took it upon themselves to yell the lyrics with Lance.

_Well the years start coming and they don't stop coming_

_Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running_

Keith let out what could only be described as a heavy growl, throwing himself at Lance in an attempt to retrieve his headphones. Lance tossed them back to Hunk.

“Hunk! If you don’t give me those headphones right now, I’ll–”

Hunk tossed the headphones behind him into the trunk.

“Allura, pull over,” Keith’s voice sounded blunt, dry, yet surprisingly stable underneath the rage he was trying to suppress. Lance was disappointed, he wanted more of a show.

“Allura, I’m going to have to ask you to veto Keith’s request,” Lance said slyly.

She brought her finger up to lip and hummed, as if trying to weigh her options. “Vetoed,” she said finally with a smile.

“I hate all of you. Especially you, Lance. Can somebody remind me why I agreed to come on this trip again?”

“Obviously because you get to see me in a swimsuit.” Lance stuck his tongue out and winked. Keith made a gagging sound before squeezing his eyes shut and wrapping his arms around his sick stomach. He rolled over to face the window.

 

* * *

 

“And… we’re here,” Allura announced to her passengers as they shook themselves awake. They looked out the window to see a small, rickety gas station sitting right next to a surprisingly clean MacDonald's. The rest stop was essentially in the middle of nowhere, with only a few mountains on the horizon to keep it company.  
  
Keith didn't even wait for the car to stop moving to hop out and take in the fresh air. Lance watched as the guy stretched his body up to the sky before diving down to touch his toes. He almost felt bad for Keith and his motion sickness. Almost.  
  
"Shiro, could you go into that gas station and grab some ice for the coolers while I fill up my trusty steed here?" Allura requested as she walked to the gas pump. "Oh, and pick me up an Abba Zabba while you're at it please!"  
  
"On it!" Shiro replied as Pidge trailed behind him. Hunk stood beside Lance for a moment, trying to decide between the gas station and the fast food. When he finally made up his mind on the gas station store, Lance too decided to follow the group.  
  
The little store reminded Lance of something out of Harry Potter. It appeared much larger on the inside than it did from the outside. After stopping by the restroom, Lance found himself standing in front of a slushie machine. He picked out a large cup and attempted to the cram as much of each flavor as he could into it. The icy drink was topped off with a satisfying blue swirl which Lance eventually had to sabotage with a straw.  
  
On his way to the register he grabbed a bag of Hot Cheetos before waiting in line behind Pidge. He watched as Hunk stared carefully at the bags of chips in front of him, once again struggling to make a decision.  
  
As the line moved forward, Lance's attention was drawn to a little white bottle sitting on a display next to the cashier. It was a bottle of motion sickness pills. Why the hell not?  
  
The four friends walked out of the store with full arms. Keith was sitting at a table outside of the empty MacDonald's alone while Allura finished filling her tank.  
  
Lance made his way over to Keith, who was already giving him a death glare.  
  
"I brought you something!"  
  
Keith lifted an eyebrow, "...A slushie?"  
  
"Hell no! The slushie is mine. I bought you Dramamine."  
  
"What."  
  
"They're motion sickness pills. Just take them you oaf," Lance said as he tossed the bottle to Keith. The pills clattered inside as Keith fumbled with the bottle in an attempt to catch them. His face fell.  
  
"They weren't even that pricey. What's the problem?" Lance exclaimed, sensing Keith's displeasure in his little gift.  
  
"I don't take pills."  
  
"What are you like, allergic?"  
  
"No you clown, I just can't swallow them. It's…disgusting." Keith shuddered at the mental image.  
  
"You really are a baby."  
  
"Go return these!" Keith whined, tossing the bottle into Lance's face. Lance swatted it back into Keith's lap before turning back to the car. There was no winning with Keith.  
  
The six of them all lined up to pile back into the car. First Hunk jumped in, climbing over the middle row of seats to get into his own. Pidge followed right after, crawling all the way to the other side. Lance placed himself right back in the middle, and Keith sat next to Lance, pills clattering in his pocket with every movement.  
  
The car started up and the group of friends were back on the road. Lance glanced at Keith and noticed he had remembered to snatch his headphones back from the trunk. He looked absolutely miserable, and Lance couldn't figure out _why_ , but he felt bad for him.  
  
"Want any?" Lance managed to get out before Keith could slip his headphones over his head. He held out his slushie, shaking it around slightly to grab his attention. Keith's eyes darted to the cup, then quick darted away.  
  
"Nothing sounds good to me right now."  
  
"Well you need to put _something_ in your system. Being thirsty will just make you feel worse."  
  
Keith couldn't argue with that. He grabbed the drink and gently put his lips to the straw. He took a small sip and then looked back at Lance. "What flavor is this?"  
  
"Um, all of the above?"  
  
Keith shrugged before taking a bigger sip. "It's good."  
  
Lance smiled. Of course it was good, he made it.  
  
"You should try those pills with it."  
  
Keith stopped drinking and handed Lance his drink back. "You're crazy." He finally said. Lance could only roll his eyes.

 

* * *

 

Lance woke with a start, Hunk tapping on his head.  
  
"Wakey, wakey guys! We're here and I gotta find a way to climb outta this seat."  
  
Lance was surprised he had finally found a way to doze off. Pidge was finally in the position where their shoulder could be used as a headrest. What was even more surprising though was the unfamiliar weight on his own shoulder. Keith had finally gotten some sleep too—on Lance. He felt guilty to be the one to wake him.  
  
"Hey sleepy head, we're here," Lance said softly.  Apparently it wasn't soft enough, as his words sent Keith's eyes shooting open. He nearly jumped out of his seat.  
  
As the four of them stumbled out of Allura's car, they got their first view of the lake house.  
  
It was smaller than expected. The outside was basically in the shape of a rectangular block, not much detail. There was a small cement patio in front of the single front door. Three windows lined the front, and a small shed accompanied the house to its left.  
  
"So where's the actual lake part?" Asked Hunk as he looked around.  
  
"Well the house isn't exactly _on_ the lake. It's more like…a five minute walk away?" Allura answered, prodding her fingers together in embarrassment.  
  
"You could have at least told us to lower our expectations," said Pidge.  
  
"Do you guys not know how to show a little appreciation? Can't judge a book by its cover!" Shiro said hopefully. He made his way over to the front door with the key and opened it to show what was inside.  
  
Allura walked in to flip on a light, and the rest of them reluctantly followed.  
  
The first thing Lance noticed about the house was the temperature. Even in the middle of the night it was warm outside, so this thing must have been baking in the heat during the day. It felt like an oven. The air was heavy, and it smelled of wood.  
  
The front door opened up to a relatively large living room with two sofas around a small television that couldn't have been bought before 2005.  
  
To the door's right was a bedroom with a single bunk bed. Across from it was the room's own, and even smaller, television.  
  
To the left of the living room was a kitchen and dining room with a linoleum floor. The kitchen featured a full stove, refrigerator, and microwave, but no dishwasher. The dinner table resembled a picnic table.  
  
Even further to the left was the second bedroom. It had just one queen sized bed and was only slightly larger than the first bedroom. Next to it was the single bathroom. It had a small sink, a toilet, and a shower.  
  
Allura walked over to the sofas, folding out each one into a bed. She turned and put her hands on her hips.  
  
"I get the back bedroom. You guys decide on how to split up the other four beds between the five of you. Goodnight!" She grinned, picking up her bags before waltzing to her queen sized bed.  
  
This was going to be a pain in the ass.


	2. Nosebleeds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: brief images of blood

Keith immediately turned to the room with the bunk bed and climbed to the top bunk. Shiro grabbed one sofa bed for himself, leaving Lance, Hunk, and Pidge to to decide who was sharing with whom.  
  
"Pidge, Lance, you two are the smallest. You guys share a bed," declared Hunk, making his way to the bunk bed. Pidge grabbed his shirt, pulling him back.  
  
"No way am I sharing a bed with Lance. No offense, but you snore, buddy. Big time."  
  
Lance put his hands on his hips defensively, "Well then it's decided! Hunk and I won't even fit in the same bed. I'll be bunking with Keith, thank you very much."  
  
Hunk and Pidge looked at each other, sharing a moment of annoyance.  
  
"Apologies in advance if I kick you in my sleep," Pidge said expressionless.  
  
"Likewise."  
  
Lance set his bag of clothes next to his bed and sat on the bottom bunk.  
  
"According to Pidge, I snore. So sorry about that."  
  
"I sleep with my headphones on," Keith's voice muttered above him.  
  
"I'm pretty sure my snoring would be prettier to listen to than your emo music."  
  
"My music isn't _emo_ ."  
  
"Since when is Fall Out Boy not emo?" Lance beamed to himself waiting for a response. His face fell when the only thing he could hear was Keith shifting slightly in the bed.  
  
Lance shrugged and stripped down to his boxers before wrapping himself in the blankets.  
  
"Goodnight, I guess."  
  
Keith responded with another slight shift.

 

* * *

 

Lance woke up to a view of Keith's back. He was getting dressed. While Keith's frame was slightly broader than Lance's, his muscles weren't as well defined. Lance's eyes began to wander down to his butt before he caught himself. It would do him no good to start looking at Keith that way, no matter how great those black briefs made his ass look.  
  
"Gooood morning," Lance said abruptly with a yawn. Keith jumped, swiveling around to face Lance. He was in the middle of forcing his skinny jeans on.  
  
Lance got up and walked towards Keith's bag and began to rummage through it.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?"  
  
"We're at a lake house, smart one." Lance tossed him a pair of swim trunks. Keith blinked.  
  
When the two of them had finished dressing, they joined the rest of their friends for breakfast. It was French toast, and made by Shiro, too. Thank God.  
  
"So how did you all sleep?" Allura asked between bites.  
  
"I woke up with a nosebleed after Hunk elbowed me in the face," said Pidge.  
  
"I'm sorry, okay? I was having a nightmare."  
  
"And when I got up to clean up in the bathroom, Shiro was in there. Seriously, who pees at four in the morning?"  
  
"Who gets a nosebleed at four in the morning?" Shiro shot back. Allura snorted.  
  
It was all too obvious the way that girl felt about Shiro. The way she eyed him and laughed at everything he said, Lance picked up on it all. It annoyed him that neither of them would make a move. They would make a really hot couple.  
  
It was then that Lance hatched his plan. Over the course of their little vacation, his goal was to get the two of them together. With the help of his romantic soul, any two people could be drawn to each other, which Allura and Shiro already were. All they needed was a little push.  
  
When everyone was finished with breakfast, it didn't take long until they were all bathed in sunscreen and out the door to begin their walk down to the lake.  
  
Lance drew back from the group, creating come distance between himself and his new project.  
  
"Keith," Lance hissed. Keith turned around with a rightfully confused face. Lance curled his finger towards himself to draw Keith back with him. He then put his index finger to his lips to tell Keith he needed to be stealthy.  
  
"What do you want?" Keith's voice was louder than Lance could tolerate.  
  
"Shush. I need your help with a little project."  
  
"Do you have a new pill for me to take?"  
  
"Don't be difficult! I need your help to get Alluro to happen."  
  
"… _Alluro_ ?"  
  
"Shiro and Allura!" Lance had accidentally gotten too excited. He covered his mouth before lowering his volume again. "Shiro and Allura. It's their name put together. They're made for each other."  
  
"Well yeah. We all know _that_ , but why do you care so much?"  
  
Lance threw his arms into the air. "I'm a romantic!"  
  
"No, you're a flirt. There's a difference."  
  
"Why can't I be both?" Lance winked and puckered his lips teasingly. Keith shoved him.  
  
"Well I'm not helping you, no way. That's their business, not ours," Keith paused, "And by the way, _Alluro_ ? Really? Try _Shallura_ .  
  
Why did Keith have to be right?  
  
Lance looked ahead to Shiro and Allura. With a little adjustment, the two of them could be holding hands. They _needed_ Lance. Nothing was going to happen without somebody getting involved. Lance was going to make sure the two of them got together, and he would find a way to get Keith to help him, no matter the method.

 

* * *

 

After the disappointing reveal of the lake house, Lance was taken by surprise by the serenity and beauty of the lake. It was larger than expected, and uncrowded. On their portion of the beach, a tall rock formation stood nearby which looked perfect for jumping off of. There was a place to barbecue food, picnic tables to eat, and plenty of sun.  
  
"I'm jumping guys! Who's with me?" Hunk shouted excitedly. He was already climbing the jumping rock. Shiro, Pidge, and Lance all followed.  
  
Lance watched from the rock as Allura slowly waded into the water, hair tied up and still wearing sunglasses. He glanced up to Shiro who was looking at her too. Predictable.  
  
Keith stayed on the sand. He had a towel laid out, and while his shirt was off, he didn't look like he was getting in the water anytime soon.  
  
Lance wondered what his hair would look like wet. He had to use some kind of product in that mop of hair. It always looked so perfect. Lance could tell that under his uncaring demeanor, Keith took good care of his appearance. Lance was thankful for that. Keith would be no fun to bicker with if he wasn't so attractive.  
  
He shook his head, getting Keith out of there. It was time to focus on the task at hand.  
  
"Hey, Allura looks good today doesn't she?" Lance whispered to Shiro who was halfway up the rock.  
  
"Of course she does. Allura always looks good," Shiro said with a smile. He gazed at the girl.  
  
"And that swimsuit, am I right?" Lance raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Don't be gross, Lance," Shiro said, shaking his head.  
  
Why did Shiro have to be so much of a gentleman? It was endearing, and sexy, but it pissed Lance the hell off.  
  
There was no hiding that grin on Shiro's face, however. Lance could see a blush forming before he hopped off the rock.  
  
Once Lance got to the top himself, he watched as Shiro swam towards Allura. She splashed him playfully, as if right out of a rom com.  
  
Lance did a cannonball. He was trying to show off, no matter how unimpressive a cannonball actually was. It didn't work.  
  
Lance splashed up from the water, his face suddenly covered in blood. He had kneed himself right in the nose.  
  
"Ow."  
  
"Nice one, Lance!" Shouted Allura. Shiro covered his mouth, laughing.  
  
"Hey, join the club!" Exclaimed Pidge, wading over to offer a high five. Lance groaned and held his nose, trudging past Pidge and Hunk back onto the shore.  
  
Lance could have sworn he saw a moment of concern on Keith's face before it was covered up with a smirk.  
  
"How graceful."  
  
Lance pulled out a towel and covered his face with it, wiping away the blood.  
  
"And sanitary too!"  
  
"Relax, it's my own towel," said Lance, visibly irritated. He folded out a chair and sat himself down next to Keith.  
  
"Well I gotta say, the cannonball did look pretty cool while it lasted." Keith's voice softened. Lance forced a smile.  
  
"Let's see you try, then."  
  
"… Is it cold?" Keith hesitated.  
  
"It's a thousand degrees out here, I'm pretty sure any temperature will feel good right now."  
  
Keith shrugged and pulled out a book. "Maybe later."  
  
Lance felt like strangling him. Would it kill the guy to have a little fun?

 

* * *

 

The door swung open, and each person walked back into the house one by one. Everyone was exhausted. Shiro face planted on his bed, Pidge laid sprawled on the floor, Hunk by their side. Allura headed immediately to her room to change out of her wet bathing suit. Keith made a bee line to the bathroom.  
  
Lance wandered to his bed. He sat staring at the wall in fatigue before his eyes drifted to Keith's bag. A devilish grin formed on his face. Keith _had_ to have something to hide in there.  
  
He shut the door quietly and lunged at the bag, digging around for anything incriminating to find. Keith knew Shiro the best. At this point in order to get his help, Lance would need to blackmail him.  
  
Keith's wardrobe mainly consisted of black, grey, brown, and red. There seemed to be no organization to the way his clothes fit into the bag. Shirts floated around unfolded among his jeans. Socks weren't even paired together, they were just scattered with everything else.  
  
Lance heard Keith opening the door.  
  
"ER, DON'T COME IN!" Lance called, kicking the door closed. "I'M CHANGING."  
  
"Well hurry up! I need to grab my toothbrush."  
  
Lance stuck his tongue out as he continued to prod through Keith's bag. He froze suddenly when he realized that there was no underwear anywhere in the main pocket.  
  
Lance felt frantically for a zipper on the sides of the bag, eventually finding a compartment on the side. He opened it. That was Keith's underwear, alright. He was well acquainted with them that morning.  
  
His hands dug through the pocket until he felt something rubbery hiding at the bottom. He froze, eyes widening as his fingers gripped the object.  
  
Bingo.  
  
Lance pulled out a surprisingly detailed rainbow dildo. He couldn't believe it. He almost passed out right there trying to hold in his laughter. Honestly, Lance was impressed. He didn't even want his mind to continue down the road it was going. Keith? With this thing? Lance turned bright red.  
  
"Lance! Are you done in there?"  
  
Lance whipped open the door and pulled Keith in, holding the the newly discovered toy behind his back.  
  
"You're going to help me get them together."  
  
Keith looked at Lance in a state of confusion before sighing, "Lance, I already told y–"  
  
Lance held up Keith's little secret, interrupting him. Keith's face turned white. He was petrified.  
  
"You're going to help me, or else everyone out there finds out about this little, or shall I say quite large, possession of yours."  
  
"You're blackmailing me? I can't effing believe this. I can't believe you went through my things!"  
  
" _Effing_ ?"  
  
"You're despicable."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again huge thank you in advance for any and all feedback, and of course, thank you for reading.
> 
> You can follow my Voltron centric blog on tumblr @i-say-vol-u-say-tron  
> Or my main @narghargs
> 
> Shoutout to @starduststarling for acting as my beta reader <3


	3. Something in the Lake Water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is running on the short side but hey, an update is an update. Hope you enjoy!

“So can you really fit that whole thing up there?” Lance muttered into the dark, his voice directed above him to the top bunk.

“Shut up, Lance.”

“Oh come on, you can’t expect me to not be a  _ little _ bit curious. Did it take practice? Does it hurt?”

“Well  _ you’re _ obviously a virgin.”

“You are too!”’

Keith groaned.

Lance stared up to the metal bars that held in the mattress that was suspended above him. He just couldn’t get Keith’s newly revealed hobby out of his mind. The image of Keith’s body floated around in his head. Lance could almost hear the sounds Keith would make using it on himself. Even more electrifying was the image of Keith using it on  _ Lance _ .

He flipped over, shoving his face into the pillow. He needed some sleep, he obviously wasn’t right in the head.

 

* * *

 

Lance woke up in a sweat. Something was not right. His subconscious must have been high on  _ something _ because Lance had a dream. Lance had a  _ romantic _ dream. Lance had a romantic dream about  _ Keith _ .

The actual content of the dream wasn’t all too scandalous. It was definitely nothing new to Lance to have a few dreams here and there about kissing, even making out. But with  _ Keith _ ? Maybe there was something in the lake water.

Lance rolled out of bed to find that Keith’s bag had moved from its old spot, now shoved to the top bunk away from anybody else’s nosiness. Keith, however, was nowhere to be found in their little room.

Lance walked out of the room to see a very different scene compared to their first breakfast there. Shiro sat on his sofa bed watching the TV with perfect posture, cereal bowl in hand. Keith was sitting beside Shiro, though he made steady eye contact with Lance as he carried on a conversation. Hunk was still asleep. Pidge was fixated on their phone, only looking half awake. The sound of the shower running pointed to Allura occupying the bathroom. 

Lance, still wearing just his underwear, poured himself a bowl of cereal. He sat down to eat with Shiro and Keith.

“So Shiro,” Lance began. Keith blinked at Lance as if asking what he was supposed to do, knowing he was supposed to participate in Lance's little game. “When are you going to ask Allura out?” Lance continued.

Shiro turned a lovely shade of pink and stopped chewing. Keith looked at Lance unsure of what he should say. He hesitated before opening his own mouth.

“You guys  _ would _ make a good couple. We just want to help you out, you know?” Keith chimed in.

“I don’t think you guys understand,” Shiro looked straight forward. He was starting to sweat. “We’re all friends here. Why risk jeopardizing all that with some romance?”

“So you admit you have feelings for her!” Lance blurted out.

“Lance cut it out! Shiro has a point.”

“See, Lance? Keith knows what he’s talking about.”

Lance flashed his eyes at Keith. “ _ Ahem _ ,” he cleared his throat to remind Keith of their deal.

“But…” Keith suddenly continued, saving himself, “ _If_ we’re all such good friends here, what makes you think that you two will stop being friends if the whole thing doesn’t work out?”

Keith was good. He knew just what Shiro wanted to hear. He was definitely worth blackmailing.

Shiro sat quietly for a moment, staring at, but not paying attention to, the television screen. Then he got up to wash his dish.

“You’re good at this,” whispered Lance to Keith. Keith tried to hide a smile.

“Shiro.” Pidge’s voice was sudden and made him jump.

“Oh God, Pidge. I forgot you were awake.” Shiro looked embarrassed.

“You got this.” Pidge continued, “It was going to happen eventually. We could all see this coming to be honest.”

They all froze as the sound of the shower stopped. Shiro walked briskly back to the sofa bed and acted natural as Allura sauntered out of the bathroom to her bedroom in just a towel. They all held their breath until she closed the door behind her.

Lance snorted. “You’re like a scared puppy!”

“It’s kind of adorable,” Keith added. It looked like he was starting to warm up to Lance’s plan. Guess the guy did have a romantic side to him.

Allura walked out of her room wearing shorts and a loose tank top draped over her one-piece swimsuit. She looked nonchalantly at the four of her friends who sat in the living room, each one tense and quiet. She gave a weird look, about to say something before Hunk yawned, emerging from his sleep.

“Good morning, Hunk,” Allura said cheerfully. “And good morning to the rest of you.” She looked at Shiro who was visibly uncomfortable. “... Is something wrong?”

Shiro jumped, and grinned brightly as he turned from the television to face her, “You look beautiful this morning!”

Allura’s face turned quite a deep shade of red before she began to giggle a bit. She covered her face with her hand as she began making her breakfast. When she finished, she sat down at the dinner table.

“I was thinking that ten o’clock would be a good time to be ready for the lake today. Is that fine with everybody else?” Allura asked, seeming to shake off her flustered state of mind. Everyone nodded. Hunk grumbled to himself as he crawled out of bed to get ready, suddenly motivated by their new time limit.

Shiro rose from his bed and walked over to the pantry to gather up food to start working on his lunch, leaving Keith and Lance to watch from the bed. He then sat himself down next to Allura, smiling at her. Keith looked at Lance with a smirk. Lance could not believe that yesterday Keith was acting as if he wouldn’t enjoy this. It was nice sharing something like this with Keith, even if he had to use blackmail to get him on board.

Keith then got up from Shiro’s bed as well, making his way over to the kitchen to make his own lunch.

“What kind of sandwich do you want, Lance?” Keith offered with an oddly sincere smile. It was one that Lance rarely saw. It made him feel warm inside, as a smile like that typically does from anybody. But something was especially different this time. He looked cute. Lance thought _Keith_ was cute. Lance thought Keith was  _ hot _ .

“I’ll just take salami, thanks,” Lance said as he tried to gain back composure. He watched Keith walk to the refrigerator, completely engrossed in his own humming.

It was then that Lance realized that he was still wearing just his underwear. Now feeling both physically and emotionally naked, Lance dipped out of the living room into his shared bedroom to get dressed.

 

* * *

 

Lance was assigned the unfortunate job of helping Hunk carry the cooler down to the lake. He hadn’t worked out in weeks, so standing next to Hunk made him feel like a toothpick. He was already lanky in general, but the contrast in body type, in addition to the sight of him struggling quite obviously to hold the cooler, made him look pathetic.

“So when are  _ they _ going to hook up?” Hunk asked Lance abruptly, tilting his head to gesture towards Allura and Shiro walking ahead. 

“Heh, you noticed too?”

“There's something different between them today. They’re both acting suspiciously bubbly.”

“Me and Keith are working on this plan,” Lance paused to heave the cooler further up his body for a better grip. “We are trying to get the two of them together by the end of this week.”

“It looks like it could come sooner than that. And the two of you working together? That must be a sight to behold. You guys fight over everything and anything.”

“Oh please, our bickering isn't serious. We just like to mess with each other. Besides, we make a good team.”

“Oh I know. Just makes me wonder when  _ you guys _ are going to hook up.” Hunk chuckled before realizing Lance started to blush. “Relax dude! I'm joking.”

Lance forced a laugh, “I know, I know! This cooler is just… really heavy.” Hunk squinted at Lance, observing his highly flustered reaction.

“Don't tell me you… Oh my God you… Lance you  _ like _ him!”

Lance nearly dropped the cooler. He looked frantically around for Keith, who was luckily a little ways behind him talking with Pidge. Lance didn't respond to Hunk’s accusation, refusing to make eye contact.

“You can tell me, Lance,” Hunk whispered, “After all we've known each other the longest.”

Lance bit his bottom lip and turn his head away. “I'm… still trying to figure it out.”

“So is that a probably?” Hunk grinned. He looked excited.

“It's a  _ maybe _ .”

“For all you know, the two of them could be having the same conversation,” Hunk used his head again to gesture this time to Keith and Pidge.

“Doubtful,” said Lance.

As soon at the six of them arrived at the lake, Allura decided that it was her turn to take a shot at the jumping rock. Her turquoise one-piece fit her muscular body extremely well. When she got to the top, she gazed out at the water, standing on the rock with perfect posture. Lance could see Shiro practically drooling.

With a sudden skip in her step, Allura dove from the rock with immaculate form. Her body made a crisp sound as it penetrated the water. When she rose back out of the lake, she tucked her white hair behind her ear, making eye contact with Shiro as she did. Shiro then eagerly climbed the rock himself.

“The lake really makes our job easy,” Keith said, elbowing Lance.

“Yeah, all this water and Shiro is still thirsty.” Lance said, holding his arms out to the lake. Keith snorted in an attempt to hold back laughter. It failed, which sent both of them into a fit, their laughs echoing over the lake.

 

* * *

 

Pidge and Hunk sat together at the picnic table, at first observing Shiro and Allura. It wasn't long, however, until their eyes were drawn to the boys in front of them. They were basically laughing on top of each other. 

While the two of them could not hear the boys’ exchange word for word, they could see the eye contact. They saw the shared smiles, the light touches, their dancing feet.

It was out of the ordinary, yes. But surprising? Not at all.

“When are  _ those two _ going to hook up?” Pidge said to Hunk.

“I’ve been wondering the same thing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize if this fic totally seems Shallura-centric right now, but everything has its purpose. The slow burn in this thing is real.  
> Once again thank you so much for reading, any and all feedback is highly appreciated.
> 
> You can follow my Voltron centric blog on tumblr @i-say-vol-u-say-tron  
> Or my main @narghargs
> 
> Shoutout to @starduststarling for acting as my beta reader <3


	4. Compatibility

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This, so far, was my favorite chapter to write. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it :)

Pidge was perched upon Shiro’s shoulders, and Lance on Hunk’s. They were playing a game of chicken as Allura watched, clapping her hands.

“DO IT PIDGE, TAKE HIM DOWN!” She screamed. It was dusk, and they were the only ones out on the lake. Her voice resonated for miles around them.

Apparently Allura's words worked. Lance came tumbling down, landing face first in the water. When he burst out of the water he immediately lunged at Shiro in an attempt to take him and Pidge down. He was successful—with Hunk’s help of course.

It was Allura's turn to fight Pidge. They switched partners, Pidge now on top of Hunk, Allura on Shiro. This pleased Lance.

It was then that Lance smelled smoke. He whipped around to see Keith working on the fire pit. He stared for a little while, just standing in the middle of the lake. The crackling of the fire drowned out his friends’ yells and laughter behind him. The way the fire lit up Keith's face was mesmerizing. Lance was suddenly aware of how cold he was. He trudged out of the water and grabbed a seat next to Keith by the fire.

“Cold?” Keith asked gently. Lance nodded. Keith handed him a towel.

“Thanks.”

“We also have blankets when you're a little bit drier.” Keith smiled before turning his head back towards the fire. He was poking it with a stick.

Lance was just about a foot away from Keith's face. He stared as the moving light of the fire brought out every detail of his cheeks. He had no freckles at all, in fact his skin looked utterly flawless. His dark eyes provided contrast as they reflected the fire, resembling two precious gemstones. And his lips, those were Lance’s favorite part. They were very chapped, but perfect nonetheless. Perfect for smiling, for laughing, for _kissing_.

His trance was interrupted by Shiro’s voice.

“How many hot dogs do you guys want?”

“Just one for me,” said Keith.

“Same.” Lance replied.

The two were handed metal sticks for cooking their dinner over the fire. Lance didn't particularly like hot dogs at all really, but he had never had the experience of cooking them over a fire. His mother had always refused all of his pleas to go camping. _It's too dirty_ , she would say, _you and your sisters can go camp out in the yard_.

Lance watched intently as Keith pulled his barely cooked hot dog out of the fire and waited for it too cool down. When it was finally cool he removed it from the stick and started to eat it plain.

“Are you serious?”

“What?”

“No bun? No ketchup? Not even mustard?”

“It's good this way.”

“You're out of your mind.” Lance said. Keith gazed down at Lance’s own hot dog. It was still cooking.

“Says the guy who's about to eat a piece of coal. Your hot dog is black.”

“It's good this way.” Lance smirked, finally pulling the metal stick out of the flames. He got up, walking over to the picnic table to decorate his dog with a bun and every condiment available. They distracted from the actual flavor of the hot dog, which Lance felt tasted like sweat.

By this time Hunk, Pidge, and Allura were getting out of the water to join them for dinner. When Lance had finally finished his creation, Allura had already snaked his seat next to Keith. Lance walked over to his fold-out chair and stomped his foot.

“This would be _my_ seat. I believe it would be much more appropriate to sit with your boyfriend over there.” Lance gestured over to Shiro.

“Excuse me?” Allura whispered, failing to hide her embarrassment. She paused for a moment. “Fine. It's only fair that I let you sit next to yours too.”

Lance turned a deep shade of red. Allura grinned as she walked past, nudging him with her elbow on the way. Lance sat down and rubbed his arm.

“She almost made me drop my hot dog!” Lance complained to Keith. Keith began to laugh. He didn't seem at all fazed by her accusation of them dating. A part of Lance was relieved, as it probably spared him an awkward silence. But another part of him wanted that awkwardness. It would have at least given Lance the implication that Keith felt something too.

Lance spent the rest of dinner in silence, watching the flames as he pondered the way he felt about the boy sitting beside him. After he had finished his meal and the others began to roast marshmallows, Lance got up.

“I'm gonna go look for a bathroom.”

Luckily it was dark, and aside from the fire, there was no other source of illumination around the lake. When he was out of sight, Lance climbed the jumping rock. He needed some space to think. Away from Keith.

It was comforting up on the rock. It was there that the wind hit, and while it wasn't necessarily cold, the air circulation was refreshing.

Lance brought his knees to his chest and folded his arms on top of them. He rested his head on his arms to think comfortably about these feelings of his. While he had felt attracted to Keith on occasion before, Lance had never actually considered his friend as an option. Sure he was gay, and Lance liked guys too, but if Lance could pick out a person least receptive to flirting, it would be Keith. But this trip was changing this perception. Sharing a room, working together on bringing Shiro and Allura together, hell, even discovering that dildo hiding in his suitcase. It was all bringing the two of them closer. And Lance felt colder than ever. Cold because he was scared, cold because this was all so new, and cold because Lance was a hopeless romantic.

It wasn't long until he heard footsteps. It was Allura. _Wonderful_. What did a guy have to do to get some privacy around here?

“Oh there you are. Almost didn't see you up there. Coming down?” Her voice was quiet, almost hard to hear over the cicadas.

“I'm gonna stay here for a little bit. It's… pretty up here.”

“… Mind if I come up?” She said, already having started the climb. Lance didn't bother telling her no.

When she got to the top, Lance took his knees out of a defensive position and hung his legs over the edge. Allura assumed the same position right next to him.

“What are you doing out here?” Lance asked.

“Well I came out here to do the same as you, sit up here. But Keith asked for me to go look for you.” Lance’s heart jumped. It was cute that Keith had asked about him.

“You were coming to this rock too? Why?”

“This is my thinking rock. I used to come here all the time as a kid. When my father passed away, Coran would take me out here. When I needed alone time, this is where I went.” They were both silent for a moment.

“Jumping rock by day, thinking rock by night,” Lance broke the silence softly. “I'm surprised I didn't have to make a reservation.”

Allura laughed, punching him softly on the shoulder. “So… what brought you up here?” She said, looking him in the eye. Lance looked away, suddenly embarrassed again.

“Keith.” He muttered. His insides felt numb. His mouth was dry.

Allura froze, caught off guard by Lance’s suddenly serious tone. “Is this about what I said?”

“Not really. It's a lot more than that. It's all so new… and at the same time not? Like I didn't see it coming, yet it makes perfect sense? I don't know.”

They were both quiet for a long time, neither knowing what to say. Allura finally spoke.

“It's the lake.”

“I'm sorry?”

“The lake. Sounds superstitious, but it brings people together. My father and Coran, this is where they fell in love. And now you and Keith, and–”

“And you and Shiro?”

Allura hesitated for a moment. “Yeah,” she exhaled. There was another stretch of silence before Allura stood up and began climbing back down the rock. Lance decided it was time to head back as well.

 

* * *

 

“Allura and I had a heart to heart earlier. She _finally_ confessed her feelings for Shiro to me.” Lance said to Keith within the privacy of their room. Keith sat on the bottom bunk flipping through the pages of a book about astrology. Lance was across the room, browsing the selection of VHS tapes that were stored in the cabinet that their television rested on.

“Took her long enough. That's good! I wonder when each of them will get the memo that those feelings are requited.”

“I think they both know at this point. It's just a matter of waiting for the whole thing to grow organically.”

“Well according to this thing, this whole thing should all work out,” Keith said, pointing to the book he was reading, “Allura is a Pisces, Shiro's a Virgo.”

Lance paused his search for a movie and looked up at Keith. “… And that means?”

“Pisces is a water sign. Virgo is earth. According to compatibility of the elements, that's a petty good match.”

Lance hesitated. He turned back to the cabinet pretending to look at the movie titles, “What are we?”

“Well you're a Scorpio right? That's water too. I'm an Aries, which is fire.”

“Is that… bad?”

“Well it's more nuanced than just good or bad. The signs interact in complex ways. But if you really wanted a one word summary of our compatibility, I guess you could say _intense_.”

Lance’s ears perked up. He turned and got up, walking to his bunk to sit next to Keith.

“Intense? Sounds about right.”

“Water and fire signs tend to be lead by emotion rather than logic. To me this sounds spot on.” They both laughed. Lance's mind immediately cycled through all of the ridiculous arguments the two of them have had. _Emotional_ was a perfect descriptor for the both of them.

There was yet another moment of silence. The two just stared at each other, both beaming. Lance decided to speak up, suddenly taking a serious tone.

“So I wanted to apologize to you.”

“Apologize?” Keith raised an eyebrow, “For what exactly?”

“It was unfair of me to go through your stuff like that, no matter how badly I needed your help with my ridiculous plan.”

“Eh, I was mad for a while. But… I'm kind of glad it happened.”

Lance’s squinted his eyes, not understanding. “You're _glad_ I found your dildo and used it to blackmail you?”

Keith started to laugh, which grew into him completely losing it. Lance was scared. There _was_ something in the lake water, he knew it. When Keith finally quieted down, he responded.

“Okay well that was actually really embarrassing, you're right. But I don't know. I feel like if it weren't for that, we would have just spent the whole trip angry at each other, especially having to share this room.” Keith paused to look around before leaning in, closer to Lance’s ear. “ _But now we can gossip_ ,” he whispered with a smirk.

“You sound like a teenage girl.”

Keith shrugged, slapping the book shut. He placed the astrology book on the night stand and climbed up the ladder to the top bunk.

“Goodnight, Lance.”

“Goodnight.”

 

* * *

 

“Lance. Lance? La-ance!”

Lance’s eyes shot open to the sight of Keith's face inches from his own. He had slept in, and Keith was trying to wake him.

“What time is it?” Lance rubbed the sleep from his eyes, blindly stumbling to his clothes to pull together an outfit.

“It's nine thirty. Allura wants to get out of here by ten again. Shiro made crêpes if you want any. Better grab them while you still can.”

Lance emerged from the bedroom to the sight of Allura helping Shiro apply sunscreen. Adorable. His gaze then shifted across the house to Pidge and Hunk. They were sitting at the dinner table whispering to each other. It wasn't long, however, until Hunk made eye contact with Lance and then stopped talking, proceeding to readjust his posture to look inconspicuous. What were they up to?

“Good morning, guys.” Lance said, maintaining eye contact as he grabbed a plate of Shiro’s crêpes. He sat across from them. “Mind if I join the conversation?”

Hunk and Pidge looked at each other, then looked beyond Lance at Keith who stood in the living room, talking to Shiro and Allura. Then they looked back at Lance.

“We were just talking about you and Keith,” started Pidge.

“Yeah! About how great your plan is.” Hunk continued.

“It seems to be working, too. You both work really well together. Very _compatible_.” Pidge said, flashing their eyebrows.

Of course, they suspected something. The walls here were so thin they must have heard their deep astrological bonding moment from last night.

“Oh, I guess you heard all of that astrology mumbo-jumbo. That stuff sure is wild, huh?” Lance replied, attempting to play it cool.

Pidge and Hunk were quiet, both studying Lance’s facial expressions. This made him especially sweaty. To distract himself from the awkward air, Lance looked down to his plate and quickly finished off his breakfast. Once his plate was clear, he jumped up from the table without looking, smashing straight into Keith.

Both of them made strange, startled noises which were cut off by the sound of the plate hitting the linoleum. Lance was thrown out of balance as well, destined to hit the floor too if it wasn't for Keith. His hands grasped Lance’s shoulders, keeping him steady.

“Shit, sorry Keith!” Lance said, refusing to make eye contact with anybody. He was extremely embarrassed.

“No problem,” Keith said, his voice smooth and without judgement. Before Lance could do it himself, Keith lowered his body to collect the fallen plate and scattered cutlery. Luckily the plates were a durable plastic, so nothing was broken.

“You seem kind of off, Lance. Something wrong?” Shiro said from the living room. Lance could hear Pidge snort.

“Oh you know, just a little tired is all,” Lance said, laughing nervously.

And he wasn't lying. Lance _was_ tired. Tired of pining after his oblivious friend. Tired of knowing it was hopeless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having way too much fun with their cute red/blue dynamic.
> 
> BTW school starts for me tomorrow so obviously there will be less time for me to write. There are plenty of chapters to come, just expect less frequent updates, possibly once/twice a week. Anyways, brace yourself for chapter five ;)  
> Thank you again for reading, any and all feedback is always appreciated! 
> 
> You can follow my Voltron centric blog on tumblr @i-say-vol-u-say-tron  
> Or my main @narghargs
> 
> Shoutout to @starduststarling for acting as my beta reader <3


	5. Sharing a Room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO,,, I actually surprised myself with this chapter. It definitely took on a different plot than I originally planned, but I'm extremely happy with it.
> 
> At this point I'm expecting to have a new chapter up every other day, but as my work load at school changes we'll see how that works out.
> 
> Enjoy!

Lance sat on the jumping rock. So far, the sunset was the most eventful part of their beach day. But as beautiful as the colors were that painted the sky, there was something even more brilliant that Lance couldn't keep his eyes off of.

He was staring at Keith who stood below. He was waist deep in the lake. He stood still, about fifteen feet away from the others as they splashed around him, playing a game of Marco Polo. Despite Keith's serene demeanor, Lance was feeling anything but serenity. His heart was beating rapidly. He imagined the way Keith's hands would feel in his own. How Keith's body would feel on his. His mind buzzed with all of the ways Keith could touch him. What he wanted most, however, was a kiss. It was the ultimate form of physical contact. On top of that, Lance had about a million questions. Would such a kiss be soft or rough? Would Keith have finally applied chapstick by then? Would Keith be on top, or was he a bottom?

 _Fuck_. Lance’s mind was moving too quickly. He needed to cool down. Standing up, Lance took a moment to admire the view before diving in. His form was perfect, and he hoped Keith had seen it.

By the time Lance had swum back in, Keith had moved further into shallower water. He was now sitting, submerged up to his shoulders. Lance waded over to join him.

“Pretty, isn't it?” Keith said, his eyes glued to the sky. It was especially cloudy that evening, amplifying the intensity of the sunset.

“It looks fake. Like a painting.”

The ripples from their friends’ movement hit the both of them in tiny waves, creating a relaxing ambience. The atmosphere between the two of them was naturally peaceful. So peaceful, in fact, that what Keith did next almost didn't surprise Lance at all. _Almost_.

Keith's head was suddenly resting on Lance’s shoulder. This time felt different than it did when they were in the car, however. Keith's wet hair was cold against Lance’s skin. Lance’s head was spinning, thoughts buzzing just as they were when he was on the rock. He could hear each of Keith's slow breaths, and despite the cold water he sat in, he felt intensely warm. It wasn't long until Lance realized he couldn't just sit there stiff as a board. He needed to take some action, do _something_ to test the waters further. So he lifted his arm to wrap around Keith, drawing his friend’s cold body closer to his own. _Shit_. This was actually happening. He hesitated, waiting for any movement from Keith to indicate objection. When he detected nothing, Lance tilted his own head and rested it on top of Keith's.

At this point, Lance couldn't even conjure up a single thought. The only thing in his head was the sound of screaming. It felt like some kind of cruel trick. It was either a terrifying dream, or an incredible nightmare.

“You're warm,” Keith remarked quietly.

“And you're cold,” Lance paused, wondering if humor was acceptable in their intimate position, “… You're like _really_ cold. Are you sure you don't have hypothermia or something?”

Keith let out a soft laugh, “I don't _feel_ cold. Not anymore.”

Lance liked that response.

 

* * *

 

For dinner that night, Shiro had made hamburgers. They were all at the picnic table, eating as they played a game of UNO.[1]

“Uno!” Pidge shouted before Shiro could. Shiro reached across the table, dejectedly picking another card. Pidge pushed up their glasses triumphantly.

Not having fully recovered from his and Keith's snuggle fest earlier, Lance was having trouble paying attention to the game. And when he thought things couldn't get any worse, Keith shifted suddenly to grab a blanket. _Hoe don't do it._

He did it. Before Lance knew it, the two of them were sharing a blanket. Alarms were blaring in Lance’s head. He knew that he should have wanted it, but in that moment all he knew how to feel was confusion. The confusion was partly out of his attraction to Keith being so new, but mainly it was because Keith's actions were so out of character. What happened to the Keith who shoves? What happened to the Keith who tells Lance to shut up? Before he could let any of it continue, Lance knew he wouldn't feel comfortable if they didn't talk about it. Lance needed answers. He almost moved himself free of the blanket, but his urge was suddenly numbed by a voice in his ear.

“It's your turn,” Keith said quietly. His voice was low, but not expressionless. Lance turned to look Keith in the eyes. Their faces were so close, and Lance’s heart was beating so fast. Keith was smiling, and though it was hard to tell by the light of the fire, it looked like he was blushing too. Lance could have sat there and gazed at Keith for years, but for the sake of everyone else Lance pulled himself away to continue their game.

Slightly dizzy, Lance put down his second to last card, suddenly remembering what game they were playing. Somehow in his daze, Lance managed to blurt out “Uno” before everyone else. He was on course to win.

“Nice,” said Keith as he picked from his own deck of six cards. He put down a green _reverse_ card, spinning the turn back to Lance. Looking down at his unplayable yellow card, Lance accepted his fate and pulled another card from the deck, still unable to go. It was back to Allura's turn.

“You're just bitter because you're losing so badly,” Lance said to Keith. Keith shrugged.

“That was the only card I could play.”

“Sure it was, just don't expect me not to look at your cards when _you’ve_ been peeking at mine the whole game.”

“Are you implying I'm a cheater?” Keith could no longer hide a smile, knowing he had been found out.

“We're sharing a blanket, Keith. You're close enough to count the freckles on my face. I'm pretty sure it's impossible for you _not_ to read my cards.”

Allura was starting have trouble suppressing her giggles from the boys’ exchange. Looking around the table, Lance could see that everybody was holding back from commenting on their sudden closeness, probably to spare the two of them from embarrassment. At this point, though, even Lance was burning to talk about it. He had no idea what was going on.

 

* * *

 

It was well past midnight by the time everyone was ready for the walk back to the lake house. Lance was tired, most of his energy having been spent on micro analyzing Keith's actions. God, the guy was exhausting.

At this point, Lance had decided that he would spend the rest of the trip waiting for Keith to come to him. If the guy _really_ wanted Lance, he was going to have to initiate. There was no way that Lance was going to embarrass himself with a shitty confession or failed kiss only to have Keith reject him.

When they all arrived at the lake house, the only thing on Lance’s mind was a warm shower followed by a warm bed.

“I call first shower,” Lance said as Shiro fiddled with the key to open the house.

“Oh come on, you went first yesterday!” Keith groaned, delivering Lance a death glare framed by the dark circles under his eyes.

“That's because I called it yesterday, too.”

“You could always shower together,” Shiro said, looking back at them with a smirk as he opened the door. Allura covered her mouth to stifle more giggling. Neither Keith nor Lance had the energy to respond.

Lance walked straight to the bathroom, locking the door behind him. Having grown up extremely modest, privacy was something that Lance cherished deeply, and it happened to be extremely hard to come by on this trip. While he did grow out of that modesty to become an extrovert at heart, the guy needed his alone time every once and a while—even if his only option was a cramped bathroom.

When Lance was finished with his shower he was greeted by an annoyed Keith waiting at the door. Lance gestured into the room to tell Keith that the bathroom was all his before going on his way without an exchange of words.

Lance hummed as he shut the bedroom door behind him. He put on a clean pair of underwear as pajamas before finally reclining on his bed. It had been an unbearably long day.

He could hear the sudden sound of Keith turning the shower on. In the tiny house, it was loud and clear even behind closed doors. Lance wondered what the guy was thinking in there. Was all this affection that he was initiating no big deal to him? Was it all platonic? Or did he want to kiss Lance as much as Lance wanted to kiss him

The boy made no sense. Shiro was probably the only person who could see past Keith's uncaring façade, and that guy wasn't just going to spill Keith's secrets onto the table like it was no big deal. Lance knew he was going to have to find out for himself.

Lance thought about everything the two had done that day. The way his hands held Lance steady when they crashed into each other that morning. The way he laid his head on Lance as if there was nothing holding him back. The way his warm breath felt as it painted Lance’s chest while they held each other close. He thought about the warmth of sharing a blanket, their faces close enough to kiss.

Alone in his bed with the cold air conditioning blasting, Lance felt suddenly in need of the contact the two had shared earlier. He thought of Keith in his warm shower, the steam not leaving much to the imagination. It wasn't long until Lance’s mind started to wander further. He wondered if he had snuck that dildo in the shower with him. What if he was using it just then? The images that flashed in his mind soon became overwhelming. Blood began to pump to his crotch, and without thinking, Lance began to pleasure himself.

For the first time on the trip, Lance decided to let his fantasies go wherever they led him, no holding back. Keith's face, his lips, his breath, his dark eyes. He thought of Keith kissing his neck. Keith on top of him, their bodies pressed together. He thought of Keith inside of him.

Lance’s whole body was moving as he stroked himself, completely in his own world. He began to stroke faster, moaning quietly, unable to keep quiet. He was so close.

“Keith…” Lance huffed out, nearly on the edge of climax. Lance wanted him so badly.

The door opened. Something cold dropped to the pit of Lance’s stomach as he realized the horrifying situation with which he was being faced.

Keith stood in the open doorway, his mouth slightly ajar. His eyes pointed directly at Lance’s crotch. Lance was frozen. He was petrified. He wanted to disappear.

But what Keith did next was unexpected. His expression calmed.

“We're sharing a room. It was bound to happen eventually,” he said with a shrug. Without making eye contact, he strolled over to the ladder and climbed to the top bunk, leaving Lance alone to accept the sweet embrace of death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] UNO is a card game which involves players placing their cards in a pile according to color a/o number. When players get down to their final card, they must shout "Uno" before the other players, or risk drawing another card. The first one to use all of their cards wins.
> 
> ...........ANYWAY honestly I was flustered throughout the entire writing/editing process.
> 
> Again, HUGE thanks to those who have been reading, commenting, and leaving kudos! It's always easier to write knowing there are others out there who enjoy what I post!
> 
> You can follow my Voltron centric blog on tumblr @i-say-vol-u-say-tron  
> Or my main @narghargs
> 
> Shoutout to @starduststarling for acting as my beta reader <3


	6. The Trail Marked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly i feel so guilty about not being able to get this chapter up, but with school starting this chapter was pretty difficult to pump out. I do think its worth it tho so yall enjoy :)

Keith sat himself down across from Lance at breakfast. Lance examined his Fruit Loops intently, afraid to look up and acknowledge Keith’s presence. He wanted to burn last night from his memory. Was this how Keith felt when Lance went through his stuff? How could he act so cool about it? How could he _shrug_ at the sight of Lance _masturbating_ ? Was Lance _that_ unimpressive? Every muscle in his body wanted to sink his face into his cereal bowl and never come back up.

“Do you prefer your cereal soggy?” Keith said suddenly. Lance glared at him defensively. Keith was _not_ supposed to be speaking. Lance preferred to get his suffering done in a silent, Keith-free environment.

“I think you should focus on your own cereal, thank you very much,” Lance retorted.

“You're literally just staring at it and watching it get slightly wetter!”

“Looks like we got ourselves the food police, people. Watch out!”

“Oh shut up,” Keith said. _That_ was the Keith that Lance knew. The mean one. Keith lowered his voice to almost a whisper. “Don't think I don't know what this is about.”

“I'm sorry?”

“You don't have to avoid me. Consider us even. Now we both know the intimate details of each other’s self-pleasuring habits.”

Lance sighed. Once again, Keith was right. There was no point in shutting him out.

Their tense exchange was cut short by Allura slamming her bedroom door open.

“Good morning, friends!” Her voice was in a much higher register than usual, waking Hunk, Pidge, and Shiro who had all still been asleep.

“What's got you so excited?” Keith asked, his deadpan voice contrasting intensely with Allura’s

Allura put her hands on her hips triumphantly, “We're going on a hike!”

Lance was ready to go home.

 

* * *

 

The hiking trail was a short drive away from the lake house. It was almost on the complete opposite side of the lake from where they spent most of their time.

The forest that surrounded this side of the lake was much denser than they were used to. It featured a lot more wildlife as well. During the twenty minute drive they saw about a dozen squirrels, two deer, and an owl.

According to Allura, there was a clearing near the middle of their trail where they would have a picnic for lunch.

“Now, I've been hiking this trail since I was nine, so as long as you follow me we _should_ be out of here by three o'clock.” Allura said as she parked.

“This thing is _four hours long_?” Keith blurted as he pulled his earbuds from his ears.

“Well it's really only three, but since we’re stopping for lunch and all, that adds another hour.”

Lance watched Keith groan. Apparently three hours was still too much wilderness for him to handle. Everybody got out of the car and headed towards the the trail. The brush was fairly sparse near the beginning, only become dense after the first fifteen minutes of walking.

“So are there like, bears here? Should we be worried for your safety?” Pidge asked, studying the foliage for movement.

“I've never seen one! Although I can't say I wouldn't be excited if I did.”

“So they are _here_ , just too stealthy to detect?” Pidge clarified.

“Pretty much,” Allura said, unconcerned.

“Wonderful,” Keith breathed. He stuck in one earbud, leaving the other one hanging freely.

“May I?” Lance gestured to the hanging earbud.

Keith gave him a confused look. “I'm not sure you'll like what you hear… but sure.”

The two walked close in synchronized steps as to not pull an earbud out of the other’s head. If Lance was going to be honest with himself, he didn't dislike Keith's taste in music at all. Sure, some of the songs were a little emotional, and most of them cliché, but to listen to someone's music was like listening to their soul. Whether it's the lyrics, the instrumental, or the melody, a person’s music reflected their thoughts. Lance definitely couldn't read Keith's mind, but this came pretty close.

Lance bobbed his head to the first song on the playlist. It featured a fast tempo, electric guitar, and plenty of drums. The singer had an edgy tone to his voice that was hard for Lance to take seriously, but it wasn't long until Lance paused his dancing to listen to the lyrics.

_Tonight I want you in my arms_

_It's not the end, no_

_Tonight I'll place you safe from harm_

_It's not the end, no_

Despite the threatening sound, it struck Lance that it was a love song. The song really _did_ represent Keith. His edgy and defensive demeanor was all just a cover up. Deep down, Keith had a soft side, a side that needed affection. And recently, he seemed to be getting that affection from Lance.

Keith seemed to have taken notice in the fact that Lance had stopped bobbing his head.

“I told you you wouldn't like it,” Keith said, impulsively ripping the earbud from Lance’s ear.

“Who said I didn't like it?”

“You think it's weird! I know you do.”

“I think it's cool! Give it back.”

Keith responded by putting the second earbud into his other ear. Lance rolled his eyes.

“So how much more of this thing is uphill? I'm about ready to die,” Hunk said suddenly.

“Already?” Allura laughed as she paused to take out her map. She even looked a bit fatigued as well, visible beads of sweat collecting on her forehead. When she finished digging through her bag, she handed to map to Hunk. “The clearing is the highest point,” she said pointing at the sheet of paper. The map was visibly faded and torn on the edges, decorated with little pen marks. It was probably once her father’s. “So it's all downhill after lunch,” Allura continued. Hunk groaned.

Lance, however, was pleasantly surprised by the hike. He didn't particularly enjoy the idea of what seemed like endless waking, but the fresh air and scenery was nice, though it would probably be a lot nicer if Keith shared those headphones. The emo music provided an amusing contrast with their serene surroundings.

After an hour of walking, the group encountered an impressive waterfall. They all took a moment to rest. Lance slipped off his shoes and socks to stick his legs into the creek that lead away from the waterfall. It was freezing, much colder than the lake in fact, but it felt great. Everybody was slow to get in the water at first. Keith and Pidge stood with only their feet submerged. Shiro stood knee-deep. Hunk, however, seemed to have better plans. None of them had brought clothes for swimming in, but Hunk was was not one to shy away from innovation. In what seemed like only a few seconds, he was completely naked. He was in the water before anybody could react.

“Whoo! The water’s _great_ guys!” He screamed.

“Hunk are you serious?” Keith looked painfully unamused and incredibly embarrassed.

“I feel so _free_!” Hunk yelled to the sky, paying no mind to Keith’s scorn. Suddenly, they all heard a splash.

Before Lance knew it Allura was completely submerged as well. The water obscured the details of her naked body, but it was plain as day that Hunk had started a trend. With a little bit of courage, Lance was stripping too—partly because he had never been skinny dipping before, but also because Keith was standing right there, and it wasn’t like the guy hadn’t already seen that much of Lance before. He might as well take it in stride.

Hunk, Lance, and Allura all swam close together, laughing at their surprisingly freeing state of vulnerability. What was even funnier to Lance, however, was the fact that neither Shiro nor Keith dared to make eye contact with them. They both looked completely terrified.

“You three should come join us,” said Allura with a mischievous smirk.

“Hell no.” Pidge said plainly. Shiro got out of the water to put his shoes on. Keith put his earbuds in. They were no fun.

When the temperature of the water got to be too much for the three of them, they finally ventured back up to their clothes. Lance reached for his shirt to use it to start drying off, beginning with his face. As he moved the shirt down to pat his chest dry, he noticed Keith leaning against a tree, eyes pointed yet again at Lances crotch. And then he snickered.

“What.” Lance said, suddenly insecure as he turned his body away slightly, moving his shirt lower to dry and cover up his downstairs.

“Oh nothing.” Keith looked away, still holding onto his obnoxious smirk.

“The water was cold, Goddammit.” Lance said, suddenly aware of how the temperature made every inch of skin down there shrink. He quickly slipped into his underwear and shorts, leaving his damp shirt draped over his shoulder. They began to follow the group back onto the trail.

“Whatever you say.”

“Okay then, though I must assume thatr if you're so smug about it, yours must be _so big_.” Lance said sarcastically.

Keith lifted an eyebrow, “Now you're asking to see _my_ dick?”

Lance blushed at the effective comeback. He certainly wouldn't mind it.

 

* * *

 

The steepest part of the trail happened to be right before the clearing. Allura and Shiro seemed to have no problem making their way up, but everybody else was quite far behind. By the time the whole group could gather at the entrance to the clearing, Allura and Shiro had already laid out the picnic blankets and food. They were basically shoving their athleticism in everyone’s faces.

Their lunch was simple, consisting of sandwiches, fruit, and cheese with crackers. Lance made the obvious decision to sit with Keith, their legs touching the entire time. While there wasn’t anything inherently romantic about legs, any form of contact could make Lance blush up a storm.

Lance watched as Keith finished his sandwich and leaned back. Gracefully he put in an earbud and reclined onto his back. Lance, feeling a need for more of Keith's attention, laid down beside him. Carefully he rolled onto his side to face Keith, who quickly took notice and shifted to face Lance as well. Their faces were inches apart, and once again Lance could feel Keith's warm breath brush his face.

“Wanna listen? I think you'll like this one.” Keith offered suddenly. He was holding out the other earbud but refused to make eye contact. Lance nodded as he stuck the earbud in his own ear. He thought the guy would never ask.

Lance was surprised by the change in genre he was hearing. The song opened with the gentle sound of a guitar. The voice was soft, and sung by a woman.

Lance gave Keith a shocked stare. Keith grinned.

“This is actually one of my favorites.”

“It's… really good,” Lance said, “Who knew Keith Kogane could get any deeper than songs about vampires and wanting to die.”

“… Just shut up and listen.” Keith said, closing his eyes as the chorus began.

_Kiss me beneath the milky twilight_

_Lead me out on the moonlit floor_

_Lift your open hand_

_Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance_

_Silver moon’s sparkling_

_So kiss me_

“This is so girly,” Lance said with a smirk. It was probably the wrong thing to say, but Lance didn't want to admit how the song really made him feel. It perfectly described the way he felt about Keith. Inches apart, Lance felt like screaming the lyrics into Keith's face so he could know how he felt, so he could just _kiss him_ already.

Keith seemed to ignore his comment, looking as though he was much more focused on a nap. The sun was making Lance feel quite lethargic as well. In combination with the warmth that the song made Lance feel, he too decided it was time to close his eyes. In Lance’s mind, this was just like sharing a bed.

Unfortunately, their moment of peace was disturbed by the others after only about ten minutes. Everyone had started cleaning up. Lance was _not_ ready to get back on that trail.

The two separated, getting up drowsily to assist with the clean up. Within a few minutes everybody was packed up and ready to go.

Lance and Keith trudged along much more slowly than the others. Lance because he was completely distracted by Keith’s company, and Keith because he was just a slow person in general.

“Uh, guys, can we pull over? I gotta pee.” Lance said, stopping in his tracks. Keith stood by, but the others seemed not to care. Allura and Shiro lead everything they did with no mercy, leaving anybody who was too slow to their own devices. Lance gathered that he had to make it quick.

Lance ventured into the bushes to find a secluded area to relieve his bladder. Despite how much of Lance Keith had seen before, he was still quite pee shy. He couldn't even pee if he knew anybody could _hear_ him. Eventually he was deep enough into the brush that he could relax enough to pee without complication. When he was finished, he clumsily made his way out of the bushes and back to Keith.

“Thanks for waiting. Let's get back to the others before they beat us to the end. They walk _way_ to quickly.”

Keith shrugged in response. Lance could tell he liked taking his time. He was too stubborn to be rushed.

It was only five minutes into their power walk to catch up that they encountered a problem. This problem manifested itself as a fork in the road. Without Allura or her map, their hike had now turned into a guessing game.

“So which way do we go?” Lance asked, knowing fully how unrealistic it was to expect Keith to know the answer.

“…Right?”

“And what exactly makes you say right and not left?”

Keith was quiet. He put his finger to his chin as he thought. He looked surprisingly calm. After a few moments he veered left, making his choice.

“Keith, you better know where the hell you’re going.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for the kudos, bookmarks, comments, everything! Your words and support mean so much to me.
> 
> Here are the songs (which i definitely recommend listening to if youre as invested in this ship as i am)
> 
> Ash - Vampire Love https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA_BsQZikZI  
> This is like basically Keith in a song and when I made the connection I had to include it.
> 
> Sixpence None the Richer - Kiss Me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N-qO3sPMjc  
> This is pretty much the song that inspired this chapter. It screams klance imo
> 
> You can follow my Voltron centric blog on tumblr @i-say-vol-u-say-tron  
> Or my main @narghargs
> 
> Shoutout to @starduststarling for acting as my beta reader <3


	7. Totally Platonic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is sooooo late, i know. I'm really trying to take my time on the plot though, and i think it's worth it. This is a really feelsy chapter so put ur seat belts on

“Can you at least _admit_ we’re lost?” Lance groaned.

“We’re not _lost_ , we just have to follow the trail.”

“We’ve _been_ following this trail for a half hour! Can we at least, like, rest or something?”

Keith sighed, pausing briefly before selecting a rock to sit on. Lance joined him, both of them panting from the unexpected difficulty of the trail. The woods around them were extremely dense. Aside from the occasional sound of a falling leaf or a branch moving with the breeze, the two of them were surrounded by utter silence. Despite having lost their friends, Lance was glad Keith was there with him. In fact, this seemed like yet another opportunity for Lance to test the waters further.

“You know, I’m glad it’s just the two of us out here.” Lance said suddenly. Keith stopped his panting and looked up. He looked confused, and almost hurt.

“Just a few seconds ago you were blaming me for getting us lost.” Lance was surprised by the sudden hostility of Keith’s voice.

“I wasn't _blaming_ you for anything. I’m just teasing, Keith.”

“We’re stuck in this forest and your top priority is to tease me? I just want to get us back to the car.” Keith seemed to be getting irritated.

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry,” Lance muttered. It was all he could say. The reason he liked teasing Keith was because the guy is so damn _quiet_ until you push his buttons. All Lance wanted was to hear the guy talk.

“Whatever. Just stop being an ass for once so we can get out of here without me skinning you alive.”

That sounded like a good deal to Lance.

Soon they were back on their feet. The trail had to end somewhere, so if they kept walking the woods would spit them out eventually. Despite the pain in his ankles, the only thing truly bothering Lance was the silence. Not only was Lance still yearning to hear Keith talk, but the woods were pretty spooky too. Unable to stand the silence any longer, Lance started to hum. He didn’t know the lyrics to that “Kiss Me” song Keith had shown him earlier, but he knew he liked it, so humming was the best he could do. Before Lance knew it, his voice was being accompanied.

Keith was singing. And it was beautiful.

Lance’s voice caught in his throat, unable to fully process that Keith could produce such perfect sounds from his already perfect face. When Keith got to the chorus, however, Lance was able to catch his breath well enough to try and follow along, filling in the lyrics he wasn’t sure of with quiet gibberish. The sudden closeness their duet was providing gave Lance a daring rush. Their hands brushed together as they walked, sending shivers throughout Lance’s body. The two made eye contact, and in a moment that felt like a scene from a movie, Lance grabbed Keith’s hand.

Both of their palms were sweaty from all the walking, but neither was clammy. Keith’s hand, however, was fairly stiff. Lance attempted to continue singing along to seem as casual as possible, but this time Keith’s voice had caught in his throat.

“What are you doing?” Keith’s voice was creaky and emotionless. It made Lance’s entire body feel cold. In an attempt to recover, he quickly blurted out an haphazardly formulated excuse.

“This is like, one of those totally platonic hand holding moments right?” Lance tried to follow up with a laugh to try to ease the tension, but it probably made him appear even more guilty.

“A platonic hand holding moment?” Keith still seemed devoid of emotion.

“Totally platonic.”

“Typically holding hands is a thing that people do… romantically. But okay.”

Lance was getting angry. Here Keith was calling him out for something as small as hand holding when _he_ had been coming onto Lance for the entire trip. Or at least, that's how it seemed. Lance pulled his hand away from Keith's.

“Listen buddy, don't act all surprised when I initiate something when you're the one who's been hanging all over me!”

“Hanging all over you?”

“Um, yeah! The whole trip! First the whole sunset thing, then trying to share a blanket, and now you're getting all intimate with your music.”

“You're unbelievable. Stop blowing this out of proportion.”

Lance wanted to rip his head off. He couldn't believe Keith could act like all of this meant nothing. Scratch that—Lance couldn't believe he let himself think it meant anything. Was it really all in his head? Lance opened his mouth to continue their debate but was quickly interrupted.

“Shut up.” Keith hissed. He stood frozen, looking intently into the bushes. Gently, he motioned for Lance to stand closer to him. Lance obeyed, and he too assumed the same paralyzed stance.

Standing face to face with them was a deer. It was huge, and not more than three feet away. It was shrouded mostly by a heavy curtain of ivy from which it fed. The creature’s calmness quickly brought Lance’s anger towards Keith to a standstill. Once again, the two of them were sharing a beautiful moment, both captivated by the animal and each other. Just like that, their argument had faded from their heads and all they could do was smile at each other.

After only nibbling on a few leaves, the deer startled them both by timidly emerging from the brush. They backed up to give it space and watched as it turned and followed the path. Keeping their distance, they marched eagerly behind.

“Where do you think it's going?” Lance whispered.

“Same place we are, apparently.”

The deer stopped at stream that ran under a rickety wood bridge. It took the two of them a few moments to understand where they were, but after ripping their view away from the animal, they realized they were standing just a few feet away from the parking lot.

“Well it's about time!” Keith laughed, surprisingly animated. He practically skipped across the bridge towards the car. What was interesting to Lance, though, was the fact that the rest of the group was still yet to be seen.

“Keith, what time is it?”

“Two fifteen, why?”

Lance smiled, and then began to laugh. They didn't get lost. _They took a short cut._

 

* * *

 

“Sup, guys.” Lance said suavely, leaning against Allura's car. The rest of the group had finally emerged from their respective trail a full thirty minutes after Keith and Lance.

“I–Wait but how–” Allura looked stunned and utterly exhausted.

“…How did we beat you?” Keith said, finishing her mess of a sentence for her.

“You guys were _behind_ us!”

“Glad to see you too,” Lance said sarcastically, “We took a shortcut after you guys left without us.”

“There was a _shortcut_?” Hunk looked defeated. Shiro and Allura both looked at each other with guilty eyes before getting in the car without an excuse.

The drive back to the beach was silent. Everyone, excluding the two fitness fanatics, we're starting to fall asleep no more than five minutes after the car had started. They were wiped out. The only sound in the car was that of the motor and the occasional sniff.

Despite having had a heated discussion about “platonic” intimacy less than an hour prior, Lance felt it appropriate to again fall asleep leaned against Keith, who's head fit perfectly into the crook of Lance’s neck. They were both too tired to make it awkward.

The best part about it was the way Keith smelled. He had never noticed it before, but his hair smelled _good_. And it was surprising considering they had all been sweating profusely for the entirety of the hike. Heat radiated from the both of them, creating a comfortable space just for two.

“Lance,” Keith muttered softly, bringing Lance back to a semi-conscious state.

“Hm?” Lance said, eyes still closed.

“…I'm sorry for being an ass back there.”

Lance opened his eyes, surprised to hear an apology. He watched Keith carefully interlace his fingers with Lance’s, a blush coming to his face. None of it made sense, but Lance figured it didn't really have to. It felt too good. So good in fact, that in his state of exhaustion and fatigue, kissing Keith wouldn't have felt at all out of the ordinary.

So he did, right on the forehead.

It was soft, making almost no contact at all. Keith did nothing in response, his eyes still closed and breath still shallow. Yet nothing seemed out of the ordinary. This version of Keith wasn't scary to Lance. For once, Lance wasn't nervous at all. He wanted what was happening to last forever.

Unfortunately for Lance, forever only lasted about fifteen more minutes, ending when they got to the house. He hesitantly pulled himself from Keith in order to climb out of the car, slowly making his way with the others back to the house. Though the day was only half over, everyone was still only half awake, so nobody seemed too eager to change into their beach clothes.

Lance headed immediately to his bed to get some rest in before Allura and Shiro dragged them all back down to the lake. He had just laid down when Hunk slipped into the room. Despite being still visibly tired from the hike, there was an air of excitement coming from him.

“…How's it goin’?” Hunk said with a slight hesitation. His unusual behavior caught Lance’s attention.

“I don't want to go on another hike for the rest of my life.” Lance said with a laugh. Hunk smiled in response, sitting beside him on the bottom bunk.

“How's it goin’ with _Keith_?” Hunk clarified. Lance’s heart skipped, suddenly worried Keith was within earshot. He sat up.

“ _Can he hear us?_ ” Lance whispered, eyes darting to the doorway as he leaned closer to Hunk.

“Don't worry, he's busy talking with Shiro. Though I guess I can assume by your reaction that you're still suffering in silence over here. Why don't you just _tell_ him already?”

Lance looked away, his face burning red. He crossed his arms. “And what could I possibly have to tell him?”

“That you love him.”

The word felt cold entering Lance’s ears. Liking Keith? That made Lance feel warm. _Liking_ someone was a concept Lance could stomach. But _love_? No way, José. Lance didn't even know what love was.

“Love is a strong word.” Lance muttered. It was all he could say.

“So what's the _right_ word?”

Lance was quiet for a long time. How the hell should he know? The only thing Lance knew was how much he wanted to grab Keith's perfect face and kiss it. He wanted so badly to just scream his thoughts and fantasies to the world and just be done with it, but the words didn't want to leave his throat. Once he said it, it would all become real. And that wasn't something Lance wanted to deal with.

“I just _want_ him. That's the right word I guess,” Lance said, gripping the sides of the mattress. He looked at the floor intently, not understanding how to deal how afraid he was to say it out loud. “Oh God, Hunk. I want him so _bad_.”

When he didn't hear a response, Lance finally looked back up. Hunk was clutching his heart, his eyes seeming to well up with tears. He looked like he was watching the ending of a romantic comedy.

“You better not tell a Goddamn soul by the way.”

 

* * *

 

Down on the lake Keith and Lance were met with a satisfying sight. Both Shiro and Allura had brought a paddleboard from the shed and were now paddling out together.

“I want as relationship as cute as theirs some day.” Lance said, thinking out loud.

“They aren't even dating yet.”

“Key word _yet_ , Keith. It's only a matter of time.” Lance said. Keith laughed under his breath, but his demeanor quickly faded to a more serious one. They sat in silence for a while and watched as Shiro fell from his board into the water. Allura jumped in after him, being met with a huge splash in the face from Shiro when she came back up. They were perfect for each other.

“I've never even had a boyfriend.” Keith said suddenly. His voice was cold. Lance could tell he was insecure about that fact.

“…Neither have I.”

“Lance, you’re bi! You’ve had plenty of girlfriends. You have all of this experience and you’re bold and you know how to make people like you. I’m not like that. I don’t _know_ how to make people like me.”

Lance went cold. He wasn’t proud of his relationships. None of them ever had depth or any real meaning. Hell, most of them were back in middle school. Lance wanted to tell Keith he was wrong, that deep down he just wanted to go steady with someone for once in his life, and that he wanted to fall in love.

“You know how to make _me_ like you.” Lance said quietly. His voice shook, and was almost inaudible. In a moment of panic, Lance decided he would try to spin it as platonic. “You…make a good friend.”

They looked each other in the eyes. As always, Lance couldn’t read what Keith was feeling. He didn’t know if he should regret not clarifying that he felt more than platonically towards Keith. Lance had no idea if anything would come from telling Keith how he really felt. But there was a hole left in their conversation, and Lance knew he had to fill it. Even if Keith ended up not reciprocating Lance’s feelings, Lance knew that Keith needed to hear the truth. Lance braced himself for the worst as he opened his mouth to speak, praying that revealing his feelings to Keith like this would make him feel better about being single.

Though apparently Keith had other plans. Before Lance could cough out a syllable, he turned without warning. Keith was walking back to the house, and quickly too, his fists balled tightly.

“Keith wait!”

He kept walking.

“Keith!”

The yelling had caught Pidge’s attention, who was now meandering towards Lance.

“What's his deal?”

Lance had no idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was honestly so dialogue heavy i hope it wasnt too much. Keith and Lance need to figure out this whole sexual tension stuff so they stop fighting lmao.
> 
> Thank you guys soooo much for reading btw! Kudos, bookmarks, comments, its all appreciated as well. I'll see you next chapter!
> 
> You can follow my Voltron centric blog on tumblr @i-say-vol-u-say-tron  
> Or my main @narghargs
> 
> Shoutout to @starduststarling for acting as my beta reader<3


	8. If You Say So

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took wayyyy too long to publish but i am so happy with how this chapter turned out. hope you like <3

“Wait, hold on, you said, ‘you make a good friend?’ Holy  _ shit _ Lance.” Pidge was rubbing their temples in frustration.

“I know, I know it's bad! I don't know what to do.” Lance was sitting on the sand, his head in his hands.

“And you're certain you like this guy? You need to fix this, dude.”

“How?”

“Are you kidding me? Tell him how you feel!”

“Oh and you think he's just magically going to feel the same way?”

“Lance, are you really that  _ dense _ ?” Pidge was standing right over him, hands on their hips with a look of exasperation. “Why in God’s name would he storm off like that if he didn't have the hots for you?”

“I'm just afraid, okay?”

Before Pidge could continue urging Lance, Shiro was back from his paddleboard date with Allura and was already quite interested in their conversation.

“Hey, uh, where's Keith?” He asked, wrapping himself in a towel.

“He ran off because Lance is terrible.”

“He what? Why? What happened?”

“We were talking about all this mushy romance stuff and long story short I panicked and pretended like I  _ didn't  _ feel a certain way about him, when I really  _ do _ feel a certain way and he stormed off and now he probably hates me.” Lance took a deep breath. The explanation took a lot out of him.

“Wait you like Keith?” Shiro's eyes were unblinking, his eyebrows raised in surprise. Lance and Pidge both looked to each other in disbelief.

“You didn't  _ know _ ?” Pidge looked like they had a headache.

“Well I thought Lance just flirted with everybody!”

Lance shrugged. It was true.

“You should talk to him. Like, now.” Shiro continued. There was a softness in his gaze that made it feel okay. Shiro and Keith knew each other best. If Shiro approved, it had to be the right thing to do, right?

“Alright.” Lance stood and inhaled deeply. His legs felt weak and his heartbeat was starting to accelerate. “Who's gonna come with me?”

Pidge and Shiro blinked, both of their arms crossed. When neither of them moved, Lance accepted his fate and turned to the road that lead back to the house. 

With a deep breath he started walking, stopping after only three steps when he realized he didn't have a key. Shiro had it, which meant Keith didn't, which meant he was going to be waiting outside, which also meant Lance was going to have to deal with an even more awkward confrontation, Keith having a front row seat to Lance’s walk of shame.

 

* * *

 

Despite having the knowledge that Keith was waiting at the house by himself, Lance purposely walked at a slow pace. High school may have ended for Lance, but he could still find ways to procrastinate on anything.

But he could only take so many slow steps before Allura's lake house was within view, Keith sitting on the front steps, enthralled by his cell phone. His headphones were on as well, giving Lance the opportunity to catch him by surprise. He hoped it would ease some of the tension.

So there he stood, about five feet away from Keith with his hands placed firmly on his hips, stance moderately wide. It felt to Lance like a fast draw, a showdown straight out of an old Western film. Except there were no guns. That, and Keith was unaware that any of it was happening. He continued to stare down at his cell phone, leaving Lance unsure if he was truly distracted or just pretending.

“Ahem.” Lance was starting to sweat.

Keith looked up, slowly at first, but he quickly assumed a startled look, his posture stiffening. His mouth rounded in preparation to form words, but no sound came out.

“Take off the headphones, dude.” Lance ordered softly. Keith obliged.

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Keith's eyes quickly darted away. Lance cautiously walked over to Keith and lowered his body to sit on the steps beside him. Though they now shared the small staircase, there was still a considerable distance between the two of them.

“I screwed up.” Lance said suddenly under his breath. It stung his lips to admit his fault, but what stung even more was the anticipation of providing a more thorough explanation. Lance was going to have to come completely clean, all of these new and acute emotions about to be dragged to the surface.

“Elaborate.” Keith said. He looked tired.

“It was shitty of me to say those things to you.”

“Yeah. It was.”

“You were opening up to me, you were venting, and you were vulnerable. It was shitty of me to treat it like a game, to turn your words into something so… so trivial.”

Keith turned away, his body now facing the road.

“I just got flustered and nervous and I just couldn't stop my mouth from running. I didn't know it would affect you this much. I'm…really sorry.” Lance continued.

“So what am I supposed to take from this?” Keith snapped back at Lance quickly.

Lance didn't have a response.

“I'm still single. I'm still alone.  _ That's  _ why I'm mad, Lance. Did you really expect me to believe I had a chance with you?”

“Keith no, I–”

“Were you really  _ that _ afraid that your gay friend might have a crush you?”

“Keith I just–”

“I'm  _ so _ sorry that the thought of dating me could make you so–”

“Keith! I fucking  _ like  _ you, okay?” Lance’s voice escaped louder than he anticipated. There was a slight echo around them, and what now felt like a hole dug deep into Lance’s core. He felt light, like he wasn't even there, his soul watching their mess of a conversation play out while his physical being fled the scene.

Keith's face contorted into a terrifying mix of disbelief and torment. He breathed deeply, still staring at the road in front of the house. Lance watched in fear as an internal dialogue took place on Keith's face. The sun was beginning its descent behind the mountains, and the light from the sky was scattered across Keith’s cheeks, allowing for a pretty sight once his expression began to soften. Lance’s confession seemed to take a lot of brainpower for Keith to process, and it took a while before he was in a position to speak again.

“So wait,” Keith seemed to be hiding a smile now, “Do you like me, or  _ like _ like me?”

And then, before Lance could speak, Keith laughed. It started out small, almost inaudible, but his body shook nonetheless. Soon, however, he was at a near cackle, his head thrown back, palms slapped over his face. And then Lance was laughing. They were laughing together, and the joke wasn't even funny—just so haphazardly timed and  _ terrible _ . The whole ordeal lasted only thirty seconds, but it was the longest Lance had ever seen Keith laugh at one time. And it was fucking  _ beautiful _ .

“ _ Like _ like.” Lance said finally. There was a sort of electricity between them now, something being exchanged between their gazes. And Lance felt  _ okay _ . He felt safe.

And then Keith lunged at Lance. For a moment, Lance expected a kiss, like in the movies, but he was only met with the brush of Keith's fingers as they snatched the keys from his hands.

Lance was in a daze from Keith's fast movements, the boy now standing to open the door of the lake house. If he was going to be honest, what Lance really wanted right then was to watch the sunset, but Keith apparently had other plans.

“Coming in?” Keith asked in a voice that resembled a growl. Hair was slightly messy, thrown over his face in a way that enhanced his piercing stare. Lance couldn't be sure, but it seemed like a poor attempt at being seductive. He was aroused nonetheless.

Lance followed Keith into the house, which was quite cold after having the air conditioning running all day. No lights were on, and the blinds were shut, the only illumination being small amounts of pink light that could find its way in from the sunset.

Keith turned to close the door behind them, sandwiching Lance between it and him. Something had changed in the way Keith looked at him, different expressions brought out by the dimly lit room. Keith was no longer closed off or unreadable. He looked vulnerable, every emotion now broadcasted directly onto his face—a face that was now carefully inching towards his own.

“I ‘like like’ you too,” he whispered. Lance was unprepared for the puff of air that brushed his face. While the wording of such a confession would seem humorous in any other circumstance, Keith’s voice contained a sincerity that gave the type of sentence usually reserved for middle schoolers a very adult implication. This level of intimacy was shockingly difficult for Lance to comprehend. He could only stand paralyzed and wait for Keith to make the next move.

The tension between them felt almost fiery. It was begging to be broken, but Keith seemed to tease the flame rather than suffocate it immediately. Their breaths were loud in the quiet room, and with every millimeter that Keith drew closer to Lance, he became more and more irresistible. And when it seemed like they couldn't get any closer, Keith brought his hand up to Lance’s face and held it in a way that seemed to freeze Lance into a catatonic state.

And then Lance felt Keith's lips on his own.

They were warm, especially in contrast with the cold air around them. But what pleased Lance most was the taste. Oh god, the taste. Keith was so  _ sweet _ . Lance reached down to Keith’s lower back and brought their bodies closer together. He needed  _ more _ . He needed to know it was all real, each inch of Keith’s body that touched his own acting as reassurance that Lance was not in his own head.

And then Keith broke away. Once again his dark eyes were sparkling, looking directly into Lance’s in a way that communicated more emotion than the two had ever shared prior.

“Keith,” Lance could only produce a whimper. “Keith I want you.” 

Lance was now completely under Keith's control, wrapped several times around his finger. Nothing occupying Lance’s consciousness could function well enough to listen to his own will. And he  _ loved _ it.

But Keith’s reaction was suddenly distant. He seemed caught off guard by Lance’s submission, and definitely at a loss for words.

“S…Sorry I just. I don't–” Lance stuttered, now insecure of his eagerness.

“No. It's okay. That was just– _ You’re _ just. You're really hot.”

Lance was prepared to melt right there in Keith's arms. Knowledge that  _ he _ was turning  _ Keith _ on was strangely fulfilling.

So he went in for another kiss, this one just as sweet as the last. Keith's hands were now buried deep in Lance’s hair, sending chills down his spine. Their lips were now beginning to loosen, allowing for more movement in the kiss. Pretty soon, Keith was gently teasing Lance’s bottom lip with his tongue, obviously eager to venture further into his mouth. Lance fervently granted him entry, though hesitant at first to use his own tongue. Keith, however, was gentle. His tongue swept over Lance’s in a way that tenderly coaxed Lance to tongue back.

The taste of tongue was different. Lips were sweet, but tongue left a sinfully metallic taste in his mouth. It was definitely something Lance could get used to.

But the tongue-on-tongue action didn't last long. Keith quickly moved to Lance’s ear, his breath feverish as it swept over the sensitive skin. Lance was now aware of his heartbeat thudding as blood rushed to his ear. He had always been self conscious of the fact that when he blushed, they blushed with him, but in this instance it only served to make the area more sensitive.

And just as Keith's lips brushed the skin behind his ear, just at the top of Lance’s neck, an incredible force smashed the two of them together.

_ “FUCK!” _ Keith barked out and he tumbled to the floor. Lance quickly caught himself, pivoting away from the door to the side as to not topple onto Keith.

Allura, five foot eleven and pure muscle, had the wonderful idea of swinging to door open. And by the look on her face, she was completely unaware of the scenario taking place between Keith and Lance.

“Shit, sorry! Did I hit you with the door?” 

Keith rubbed his forehead which had essentially been smashed in by the side of Lance’s skull. “I'm fine,” was all he could manage to spit out.

“What are you doing here?” Lance said, stepping out from behind the door which still sat ajar.

“Well  _ I'm _ currently dealing with a surprise visit from Aunt Flow.” She paused, a sudden questioning expression on her face. “And what are you two doing here?”

Keith and Lance looked at each other momentarily.

“Talking?” Lance said unconvincingly. Keith, still on the floor, nodded aggressively in agreement.

Allura shifted her glance between the two of them, and then slowly to the door. She turned to close it, and then turned on the light.

“You were talking…up against a door…in the dark.” She placed her finger on her chin inquisitively.

“Yep.” Lance placed his hands on his hips assuredly.

“Pretty much.” Keith added as he stood up.

Allura flashed her eyebrows, smirking slightly as she turned away, walking to the bathroom.

“If you say so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can follow my Voltron centric blog on tumblr @i-say-vol-u-say-tron  
> Or my main @narghargs
> 
> Shoutout to @starduststarling for acting as my beta reader <3


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